Ben Simmons has been out of action for a while. Considering his chequered past, most analysts, fans, and ex-stars have called for the Nets to trade him before he starts becoming a liability on their payroll. Simmons, however, seems unfazed by it and has quietly been putting in the work during the offseason to get into better shape and rhythm. He declared confidently, in an interview with Marc. J. Spears, that he would be ready for the next season. However, the downside is his inability to perform in the clutch positions.
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The game against the Hawks was probably one of his worst, the 76ers could have won the series if he did not pass up the chance to score instead of dumping it off. Simmons defended his decision to Spears saying that, he passed the ball to someone who could shoot better free throws than him considering how close the game was.
It’s been all downhill for the forward since then. He’s been dealing with confidence and mental health issues due to the pressure put on him post that game. However, he still defends his play.
Ben Simmons defends his decisions
The 6′ 11” forward etched his name in basketball lore during Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finlas against the Atlanta Hawks, and not in the way he would have liked it. Philly tied Game 6 at Atlanta and was expected to go back home and wrap the series up. The game was a heated contest with both teams evenly matched, but the Hawks managed to take the lead and with 3:30 seconds remaining on the clock, Simmons made an error that will forever haunt him till he wins a chip.
The 76ers cleared the paint and ran an ISO play for the former All-Star who had the slower Danilo Gallinari on him. With poise, he backed him up, spun, and lost his man, what would have then been an easy dunk turned into a disaster. He passed the ball up to Thybulle who was fouled as he went for the layup.
The 76ers ended up losing the game 96-103. The fallout was swift as head coach Doc River threw him under the bus in the post-game conference while GM Daryl Morey looked to trade him in the offseason. Simmons explained his decision to pass the ball, in an interview with Marc. J. Spears and said,
“I don’t even remember that game anymore. To me, I made a play. I gave it to somebody who’s probably going to shoot better from the free throw at that moment of the game. It didn’t work, but I made a play. People make hundreds of plays throughout the year. They’re not always going to be the right play at the right time, but it was a play. But that wasn’t the factor of the game. You can go back and look at different things within the game where it could’ve been better. For me, shooting the free throws was one of them, but it didn’t happen. So, that’s just something you just keep working [on].”
Considering Simmons’ track record of shooting poorly in clutch games, this sounds like yet another excuse. But, it does make sense. Dump it off to someone who’s a better free-throw shooter than you. However, teams look to their stars to bail them out in situations like these, that’s why they are paid the big bucks.
It’s not the lack of talent but the lack of confidence and belief in his abilities that seems to be haunting Simmons. Will we ever get to see him live up to his true potential or is it yet another highly touted star eventually falling off?
Simmons looks forward to the next season
Simmons looks like he’s on a revenge tour and has been hard at work during the off-season, strengthening his core and making significant progress after recovering from a back injury.
Simmons, during his interview with AndScape, spoke about how excited he is to get back to the court and dominate. He also admitted that last year was nowhere close to him being at his best and that he would kill the player he was if they had to play each other at this point. He said that he’s at his strongest and is in tune with his body.
When asked about where he is in terms of shooting, the Australian replied that he was working on multiple aspects such as Touch shooting, pull-ups & spot-ups. Is this yet another indicator of Simmons’ willingness to evolve or a sign that he’s got his swagger back since he’s started to talk like a star again? It’s going to be a fun year at Brooklyn either way.
